


All Aboard

by Lush_Specimen



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lush_Specimen/pseuds/Lush_Specimen
Summary: Stifling under the grip of functionalism, the Cybertron spins towards revolution. Two triple changers desperate to keep their additional alt modes hidden from the Institute sneak away for a stolen moment away from prying eyes.The piece that I wrote to illustrate the early rise of the Decepticon movement forRise Up, the Decepticon zine!
Relationships: Astrotrain/Blitzwing
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	All Aboard

Astrotrain flew low over the rough terrain in his space shuttle alt mode. He double-checked the coordinates Blitzwing sent him just to make sure he was still on course. Sneaking out after Sentinel’s curfew was nothing new, but they never met so far out in the wilderness before. He was secretly hoping that they could break into the subway station again tonight, even though last time a couple of hidden security cameras that Blitzwing missed during his nightly shooting sprees caught photos of his sleek lavender locomotive. They showed up a few days later on a handful of conspiracy sites claiming the existence of a ghost train. Blitzwing found it hilarious and constantly teases him about it. 

His plating twitched with longing to shift into his train alt mode. He liked his shuttle mode, but there was more to him than that. He was both a space craft and a train. Not that anybody other than Blitzwing knew. Triple-changers were unusual, different, and as far as the senate was concerned, dangerous. Banking around a staggered line of foreboding rock formations, Astrotrain shivered. They reminded him of mnemosurgeons’ needles. He shouldn’t have to hide his train mode, but he’d do whatever he could to stay off the Institute’s radar. No one was going to dissect him to figure out how he worked. Even if that meant becoming a local cryptid. 

His GPS signaled the arrival at the coordinates. Without a landing strip long enough for his shuttle form, Astrotrain transformed into bot mode and landed hard on his feet. A quick scan of the area revealed no life signs. He nervously paced along the base of a winding canyon, hugging his arms around himself. The stars twinkled brightly in an indigo sky, reflecting on the distant silver peaks, but the eerie silence prevented him from really enjoying the natural beauty. He sighed with relief when he finally felt the throaty roar of Blitzwing’s jet thrusters reverberate pleasantly with his own engine. 

A few moments later the distinct tan and purple jet banked around the towering cliffs and lumbered into the canyon. Astrotrain shook his head. He had no idea how Blitzwing managed to keep his third form a secret. All the extra heavy armor from his tank mode made him the slowest thing on two wings. 

“Hey A-train!” He shouted, transforming into bot mode mid-air. “Catch me!” 

“Aww! Come on!” Astrotrain groaned as he braced himself. “Oof! You weigh as much as a thousand suns.” 

“Hey!” Blitzwing fell heavily into Astrotrain’s waiting arms. “You know I’m sensitive about that!” 

“I know.” Astrotrain smiled and hugged him tightly before unceremoniously dropping him on his afterburners. 

“What was that for?!” Blitzwing landed on the ground with a thud. 

“For being super late and making me wait in this creepy deserted wasteland all by myself.” 

“Okay, okay! Sorry about that, but I was flying as fast as I could.” Blitzwing got up and dusted himself off. “You’ll thank me in a minute. I have a surprise for you!” He grabbed Astrotrain’s hand and tugged the larger bot along. 

“We’ll see about that.” Astrotrain grumbled. While Blitzwing led the way, his mind wandered back to earlier today. “Hey, Blitz,” He began quietly, “I need to talk to you about something.” 

“Yeah, yeah, me too. But first, I want you to see this!” The narrow pathway opened up dramatically and Blitzwing spun around with a flourish. “Ta da!!” 

“Is that-” Astrotrain’s crimson optics widened and a huge grin spread across his face. Gleaming under the starlight, a pair of pristine metal tracks wound their way all through the canyon towards the horizon. 

“You know it!” Blitzwing beamed. 

“Sweet Primus on a pinwheel!” Astrotrain whispered as he rushed forward to run his hands along the smooth rails. Train tracks! A complete railway system far away from any prying eyes! His spark spun so fast in excitement, he thought he might faint. 

“Hey?” Blitzwing gently poked Astrotrain’s back, his red visor darkening. “What’s up with these new dents in your stabilizer?” 

“It’s no big deal.” Astrotrain winced. In his excitement, he had forgotten all about them. “I’ll tell you later. Promise. Right now, I just want to go for a ride!” 

Blitzwing growled but unclenched his fists with a nod. 

“Alright!” Astrotrain whooped and transformed into train mode. The way his metal wheels fit on to the rails with a satisfying click sent a jolt of pure joy through his spark. The deafening blast of his air horn echoed through the canyons. “All aboard!” he laughed. 

“Oh? You sure I’m not too heavy?” Blitzwing teased, elbowing his cab before hopping onto his expansive cargo area. Once aboard, he transformed into his tank mode. “Let’s go! I bet there’s all kind of stuff we can blow up around here!” 

“Now you’re talking!” Gradually engaging his throttle, Astrotrain’s wheels slipped until he began to lurch forward through the sheer power of his massive engine. Once he got moving, he effortlessly glided along the curving tracks, finally enjoying the remoteness of the wilderness. Out here, he could be a train, or a jet, or more importantly, both, without worrying about anyone locking him up for being different. 

“Betcha I can blast that weird rock pillar!” Blitzwing swung his turret around and aimed at one of the needle-like towers. 

“Go for it!” Astrotrain egged him on. After those rock formations gave him the shivers when he first arrived, there was something gratifyingly rebellious about blowing them up. 

Blitzwing fired his main cannon. A half a second later the tower exploded in a fiery shower of debris. “Ha! Nailed it!” 

Astrotrain blew his air horn to celebrate the destruction of one of the creepy needle-rocks. The absence of its long shadow greatly improved the atmosphere of the entire valley. “This place is amazing!” He eased up on his throttle, slowing down slightly to make the tight spiral turns as the track gained elevation. “How did you even know it was out here?” 

“You know those rich idiots that I work for?” Blitzwing blasted another rock formation with a shout of glee. “Because I was late again, they made me wait forever to sign for the package that I was delivering, so I eavesdropped- dropped eaves-” Unsure of the correct word, Blitzwing simply chose a different one and forged ahead with his story undeterred. “I overheard their conversation. Apparently, this was an old energon mining complex. The one wanted to reopen it, but the other said it would cause too much trouble. When they originally closed it, the miners revolted and killed a senator!” 

“Whoa! Hardcore!” 

“I know right!” Blitzwing swung his turret around and took aim at a new target, waiting until Astrotrain moved into better position. “They decided to leave it abandoned, but I memorized the coordinates!” 

“Aww! You remembered numbers for me?” 

“I wouldn’t do it for just anyone, you know!” Blitzwing blushed so intensely his entire tank form glowed bright pink. He fired another round but missed his mark, creating a massive crater as his warhead exploded on the ground. “Look what you made me do!” 

“I didn’t make you do anything. You missed just fine on your own.” 

“Time for a change of pace then! Let’s fly up there,” he gestured to the summit of the mountain, “and get a look at how big this place really is!” Transforming directly into a jet from his tank mode, Blitzwing took off. “Race you!” 

“You’re on!” Astrotrain pushed his throttle all the way to the red line. As his silver locomotive streaked along the tracks, he spun his transformation cog as well, instantly slipping into shuttle mode without losing any speed. He directed all power to his thrusters and shot right past Blitzwing with enough time to execute a perfect barrel roll before landing first. “I win!” 

“Again.” Blitzwing moaned when he finally caught up. 

Astrotrain sat down right at the edge of the precipice and casually kicked his legs over the rim. The starlight glimmered off miles and miles of rail lines winding through the rough terrain. He smiled. It was his own private train yard. Dark tunnels dotted the landscape, no doubt leading down into the mine itself. All the opportunities for exploration in train mode made him giddy. Breaking into the subway and dodging security cameras couldn’t compare to the sheer wonder of this place. 

“So...” Blitzwing thumped down beside him. “You wanna tell me what happened?” 

“Not really...” Astrotrain’s shoulders sagged, allowing the starlight to catch on the sharp edges of the dents creasing his stabilizer. He would much rather be riding the rails, but he put off this conversation long enough. “Remember those jerks I told you about?” 

“The senate enforcers who always try to make you ride them to the bar just because your shuttle mode is so big?” Blitzwing’s plating flared and his visor burned. “They’re the reason I’ve been teaching you to fight.” 

“Yeah, well...” Astrotrain sighed. “When I made my last cargo delivery of the day, they were waiting for me again. After I told them ‘no’, they got all hacked off. One of them got really insistent. He grabbed my stabilizer pretty hard so I spun around and punched him right in his stupid face, just like you taught me! A fight sort of broke out but, thanks to your lessons, I kicked the scrap out of the rest of them too.” 

“I’m really sorry they hurt you, but I’m proud that you handed them their fenders.” Blitzwing ran his fingers lightly over the dents. “I wish I was there. Hassling you would have been the last thing that those bots ever did. It’s so not fair! Why do those guys think they have the right to expect things from you just because of what you are?” He growled and punched the ground, sending bits of broken gravel skittering over the cliff. “I hate that the world has to be this way!” 

“What if it didn’t? What if the world could be different?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Look, Blitz. After I flew away from that fight, I met somebody. This blue jet made the most incredible sonic boom, breaking all the windows in an entire block, and flew right alongside me. I’ve never seen anyone do something like that. It was amazing!” 

“Oh no!” Blitzwing buried his face in his hands. “You’re breaking up with me! I knew it! I knew one day you would figure out that you’re way too good for me.” 

“Relax, you dope.” Astrotrain playfully shoved him. “Nobody gets me like you do! I’m not breaking up with you. I’m joining a political reform movement.” 

“You’re what?!” 

“The jet, who said his name like six times but I can’t for the life of me recall what it was, told me that he belonged to a group that is trying to change the world. I agreed with a lot of what he had to say.” 

“There’s a lot that I hate about the way things are.” Blitzwing nodded. “I never really thought that things could be any different.” 

“Exactly. It’s not right that people just expect me to ride them around because I turn into a huge shuttle. It’s not right that you have to work as a courier just because you can fly. It’s not right that we have to hide our rare third forms.” Astrotrain hugged his knees to his chest and stared towards the horizon. “I love being a train.” 

“I know you do, even if it’s a totally lame alt mode.” Blitzwing cuffed his shoulder. 

“At least it’s better than an armored jet that can barely get off the ground.” Astrotrain nudged Blitzwing with his elbow. 

“Whatever! I’d be a tank all the time but it’s too hard to hide my wings in bot mode. I have to pretend that my jet alt mode is my only one. You know how it is.” 

“I know exactly how it is.” Astrotrain nodded with a sad smile. He had the same problem. There was no hiding his broad shuttle wings. “That’s why I want to join. There’s a meeting for new members tomorrow night, and I’ve decided to go. I want to make the world a better place. For everybody. I was hoping you might come with me.” 

“Oh, rust me!” Blitzwing huffed. “If it was any day but tomorrow, I would totally be there. I kind of have a thing tomorrow.” 

“What else could you possibly be doing? You never have plans. Ever.” 

“Yeah, well...” Blitzwing rubbed the back of his helm. “The other night, before I found out about this place, I went down by the subway station to enjoy one of my favorite hobbies.” 

“Blowing up security cameras in tank mode.” Astrotrain rolled his optics. 

“You got me!” He looked up with a sheepish grin. 

“One of these days, someone is gonna figure out that Blitzwing-the-worlds-slowest-flyer is also the tank that goes tooling around deserted alleys at night causing random destruction.” 

“Pfft! Please! You know I’m super careful. I don’t want to end up in the Institute either. Believe me! I just thought we could break in to use the rails again and didn’t need any more pictures popping up on those conspiracy sites.” 

“Ugh! Don’t remind me!” 

“Ha Ha! Ghost train!” Blitzwing elbowed him. “Anyways, this purple jet appeared out of nowhere. VORP! He started telling me that he belonged to a group that could really use someone with my talent for explosions. I didn’t even ask his name, because, come on, he was purple.” 

“It’s a good color.” Astrotrain nodded sagely. 

“Very trustworthy!” Blitzwing agreed. “Blowing things up all the time? It’s my dream job. I couldn’t say no. He wants me to meet with his group tomorrow night.” 

Astrotrain stared out across the horizon. He never thought Blitzwing might have something else to do; they always did everything together. The world wasn’t fair in so many ways. At this point change is necessary. The deserted train rails gleamed under the starlight. While the miners here at the courage to fight back against the injustice done to them, all he’s done with his life was accidentally become an urban legend. 

Taking Blitzwing’s hands in his own, he turned to face him. Blitzwing did the same. They sat there silently staring into each other’s optics for a few moments, each weighing the consequences of their proposed actions. Suddenly, they both squeezed each other’s hands at the same time and blurted out: 

“I’M GONNA BE A DECEPTICON!!” 

Astrotrain’s jaw dropped and Blitzwing’s wings twitched. They stared at each other in shock. 

“Wait? What?” Blitzwing cocked his head to the side. “You’re gonna be a Decepticon?” 

“I’m gonna be a Decepticon!” Astrotrain’s spark spun with excitement as they burst into laughter. 

“Me too!” Blitzwing’s visor sparkled. He jumped up and grabbed Astrotrain in a huge hug, lifting up the larger bot and spinning him around. “This is great! We’re gonna be Decepticons together!” 

“I know!” Astrotrain giggled when Blitzwing finally set him down. “But wait a minute... If we’re gonna change the world, why do we need to blow stuff up?” 

“Dunno.” Blitzwing shrugged. “If we’re gonna blow stuff up, how are we gonna change the world?” 

“I don’t know either.” Astrotrain shook his head. “The loud jet said that the head Decepticon is super smart. I’m sure he’s got it all figured out.” 

“Right before he VORPed away, the purple jet told me that the leader of the Decepticons always has a plan. I wouldn’t worry about it.” 

“Those jets must be kind of like us. I bet they have to hide their unique abilities from the Institute too.” 

“Yeah.” Blitzwing agreed. “I don’t think that they have multiple alt modes, but I’ve never even heard of someone being able to do the kind of stuff that they did. Giant sonic booms? Teleportation? I wonder how many other bots are going through life hiding who they really are, just like us?” 

Pondering Blitzwing’s observation, Astrotrain surveyed the mining complex, imagining scores of miners violently clashing with the senator’s fearsome guards. The idea of such a big fight scared him, but not as much as the thought of a mnemosurgeon’s needles plunging into his brain to try to figure out why he could turn into a space shuttle and a train. He might not have much up there, but it was his. No one else had the right to take what made him unique. And if the world thought it did, then it was wrong. 

“You know what, Blitz?” Astrotrain hooked his arm around Blitzwing’s neck. “I’m gonna blow off work tomorrow. I’m just going to hang out here all day, ride the rails in peace, and then head back for the Decepticons’ meeting in the evening.” 

“Hell Yeah!” Blitzwing exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Astrotrain’s waist. “If you’re staying, then I’m staying! Let those idiots wait even longer than usual for their packages!” 

“Pfft! You’re always so late, they probably won’t even realize that you’re missing.” 

“Whatever!” Blitzwing shoved Astrotrain. “At least I’m not an urban legend!” 

Astrotrain bounded towards the tracks with a laugh, transforming into his train mode with a blast of his air horn. “All aboard the Ghost Train! Next stop: A Better Tomorrow!” 

“You said it, A-train!” Blitzwing hopped on to his cargo platform and transformed into tank mode. 

Listening to echo of his air horn bounce off the cliffs and relishing the comfortable weight of Blitzwing on his cargo bay, Astrotrain smiled. “I got a feeling this will be the start of a whole new era!”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading!
> 
> I appreciate your kudos and love reading your comments!!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at: [lush-specimen.tumblr.com](lush-specimen.tumblr.com)


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